MLB Trade Rumors: Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns Addresses Latest Ryan Braun Rumblings
The Milwaukee Brewers spent a good chunk of the offseason bringing in new outfielders, including Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. Because of those moves, Ryan Braun suddenly found himself out of a position to occupy on a daily basis.
Braun is currently the Brewers' fourth outfielder, per their depth chart on MLB.com, though he did use the offseason to try and learn how to play first base so that he can get into the lineup more often.
Braun's still a work in progress at first, and there's no guarantee that he will be able to handle that position long-term.
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Perhaps due in part to Braun's role with the team seemingly having been reduced, a new rumor hinted that the Brewers may be looking to move him.
To be more specific, the rumor had the Brewers trading Braun to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Matt Kemp.
The emergence of the rumor surprised plenty of people, and it had them thinking about why the two teams would agree to such a swap.
For the Brewers, the deal didn't make that much sense because there was still a significant amount of money remaining in Kemp's contract, and he would've been another outfielder they would not have been able to play regularly.
The Dodgers could probably benefit from having Braun's still potent bat in the lineup, but taking on his deal would not have made sense as they are trying to save their money for the upcoming offseason.
Something seemed off about the rumor as the proposed Braun-for-Kemp didn't seem like a deal that could really help out either side that much.
Now, more details about that rumored swap have emerged.
Not long after the rumor began to garner attention online, Brewers general manager David Stearns addressed it.
Stearns prefaced his comments by first saying that he doesn't usually talk about trade rumors. He made an exception this time, however, because he didn't want this new rumor to distract the players, MLB.com reported.
Stearns shared that he thought the rumor was some kind of April Fools' joke the first time he saw it. He then made it clear that there is "nothing to" the rumored trade.
The Brewers general manager added that he talked this time because "there's no need for this to fester."
It's pretty clear that Stearns just wants to put this rumor to bed for good.
Now, just because the Brewers aren't dealing Braun at the moment doesn't mean that no trade can happen later in the season.
The Brewers still need to fortify their rotation and maybe add a middle infielder. If they can deal Braun in exchange for players who can help shore up the weaker parts of their roster, then they may still do that.
Also, they may end up needing to deal Braun if he is unable to get comfortable playing first base.
That Braun-for-Kemp trade is not going to happen, but there's still a chance that the Brewers will trade their former MVP slugger later this season.
